Door support and closer



Oct. 15, 1940. H, WALRATH y 2,217,878

DOOR SUPPORT AND CLOSER Filed Nov. 2, 1938 TTNEX Patented Oct. 15, 1940l UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE i 3 Claims.

My invention relates to a combination door support and closing deviceapplicable particularly to' large doors such as in garages, warehouses,boathouses etc., including gates. In all instances, except for gates anddoors in outdoor construction, this improved device is not exposed totheelements.

The main object ofthe invention is to provide a highly efficient andinexpensive door support and l closer as hereinafter fully described andas illustrated in the accompanying drawing which discloses a preferredconstruction as for a warehouse door or the like. l

Fig. l is an interior elevation of a single door 15 with my improveddevice in operative position. This door may represent one of a pair ofgarage doors.

Fig. 2 is a top view as one line 2-2 in Fig. 1 but showing the dooropened about half way.

20 Fig. 3 is a Vertical sectional elevation of the closed door lookingtoward its hinged edge from near its free edge, as on line 3-3 in Fig.1.

Referring to the drawing by reference numerals, like charactersdesignating corresponding 25 parts in the various views, la single doorfl is shown, hinged at 5 to the jamb 6L of the door frame of which 6R isthe right j amb and 'I is the lintel.

This door 4 may represent one of a pair of 30 garage or warehouse doorsor even a gate with frame means corresponding to a door frame.

8 is an L-shaped metal bracket fitting the adjacent inner corner partsof the door frame parts 6L and l, aflixed thereto as with screws 9inward- 35 ly of and parallel to the closed door and adjacent its uppercorner at the hinged side. This bracket is of a size to rmly brace thiscorner of the frame and from about the center of its horizontal armextends downwardly 1an eye I Il.

40 The main part of my invention comprises an elongated diagonal deviceembodying certain adjustable tension means and extends toward the lowercorner of the door at its free edge.

Said tension device comprises an upper rod II 45 with an open hook IIAfor removably engaging the eye l0, the lower end of said rod having aneye IIB engaged by the upper end of a helical tension-coil spring I2.The lower end of said coil spring engages in an eye ISA at the upper endof.

50 an adjustment rod I3 the lower portion of which is threaded and saidthreaded part passing through yan aperture in the transverse ear or armMA of a door bracket III. Said bracket ill is an inverted L-shaped flatbar metal member fixed 55 as at I5 near the lower free corner of thedoor at its inner side and in an angular plane such that the threadedrod is retained in the ear part ISA in alinement with the tension springI2 and upper rod Il. A nut I6 engaging the threaded rod I3 under the earI3A provides for adjust- 5 ment of the rod I3 and any desired tension ofspring I2 thus drawing members II, I2, and I3 into taut but yieldablecondition.

In Fig. 2 thev door is shown opened about half `way toward full openingposition. Obviously the 10 more the door is opened the greater thespring tension and when the door is released this spring tension willautomatically close the door. The device should be in tension at alltimes for the dual purpose of closing the door and bracing it. With thisdevice mounted and functioning as described a heavy door is properlybraced and the sagging tendency is counteracted.. The sagging strainotherwise present is taken up by the tension device connected to theframe bracket 8 20 which bracket also braces and steadies the doorframe.

Large door hinges are eliminated by the use of this device, hinges onlylarge enough for the weight of the door being necessary. Hitherto, inmost instances large, elongated hinges have been used not only tocounteract sagging tendency of a door but also to prevent distortion andbreak-age of door frame because of the weight on the latter. My devicebraces the frame as stated (independent of the hinge means) and removesa large part of the sagging strain from the hinges. Therefore the framebracing and supporting means at the upper corner over the hinged edge ofthe door and the tension means extending diagonally therefrom to thelower free corner of a gate or door are particularly stressed as auseful, dual purpose combination. This device furthermore is necessarilymounted at the inner side of a door, is therefore normally not exposedto the elements yand does'not of course affect the exterior appearanceof such door.

The use of my improved door device has been fully disclosedsimultaneously with the above description of its preferred construction.Mofdiications in detail of construction and proportions of parts may beembodied without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention asdisclosed and the following claims.

I claim:

1. A door support and closing device comprising ra diagonally disposed,longitudinally adjustable and yieldable tension member at the inner faceof a door, a door frame brace comprising an inverted L-shaped bracketsecured to the door jamb and lintel at the corner of the frame over thehinged edge of the door in parallelism with and interiorly of the door,an eye or the like eX- tending downwardly from the horizontal arm ofsaid bracket in predetermined spaced relation to the convergence of botharms of the bracket, said diagonal tension member pivotally connected tosaid eye, a bracket secured to the inside face of the door yadjacent itslower free corner, means in said latter bracket to slidably andadjustably engage the lower part of the tension member, to vary `thetension in the latter.

2. The structure specied in claim 1, in which said tension membercomprises an upper rod with a hook engageable with said eye, and an eyeat its other end, an intermediate member comprising a helical coilspring engageable with said latter end of the upper rod, a lower rodmember threaded and slidably engaged in an aperture in said lowerbracket, the lowei` end of said spring engageable with the upper end ofthe lower rod, said rods and spring normally in alinement and intension, and la nut at the threaded end of the lower bar to regulate thetension.

3. A door frame brace and door supporting and closing device comprisinga diagonally disposed elongated tension member adjacent the side of adoor opposite its hinged side, a door frame brace comprising an L-shapedbracket iixed to the 1intel and jamb parts of the frame inwardly of thedoor at its upper corner over the hinged edge, a bracket fixed to thelower inside face of the door adjacent its lower free corner, saidtension member comprising an upper rod pivotally connected to said framebrace n spaced relation horizontally from the elbow vof said bracket andinwardly of the inner face of the door, a lower rod slidably andadjustably retained in said lower bracket on the door, an intermediateclose coiled tension spring connecting said rod members under tensionand normally in alinement therewith, and means for adjusting thetension, said pivotal connection of the upper end of the tension memberoffset as described from the inner face of the door to increase tensionin the member as the door is opened and provide door closing action.

HENRY WALRATH.

